HELP! Have you ever just blurted this out in the middle of everything?  I know I have, multiple times. If you’re a rights holder, an event organizer, or even a supplier, you have mastered the art of being an excellent multi-tasker, or have you? With so many deadlines and multiple projects going on around you, you are working around the clock.  You have your hands in everything such as site selections, contract negotiations, building the registration platform, marketing, room block monitoring, food & beverage selection, onsite registration, room set up, and speakers, the list is endless. Who does all that work?  The answer is usually one person does it all.

Have you ever thought about forming a “Study Abroad” internship program? Well, it is a pretty simple process, as long as you find the right partner who is willing to help you every step of the way. In fact, many of the accredited universities have a study abroad program and are willing to hold a presentation meeting in your office to discuss your next major event(s). This is a win-win for everyone! You get some extra hands on deck while these up and coming hospitality students get to learn from the best!

I partnered with Erin Schneiderman over at ASU and together we created a “domestic faculty-led trip”. (Tip, if your study abroad trip is staying in the U.S., then it is actually labeled as a “domestic faculty-led trip”.) Please keep in mind that all Colleges and Universities have their own set of guidelines.

In order to create and establish a successful study abroad internship program, you must partner with a faculty advisor at any University that has an accredited study abroad program.  The faculty advisor(s) will help pave the way to assure everything is set up appropriately. Keep in mind, there are lots of safety concerns with students traveling abroad and that is where your faculty advisor will help you.

Typically, the ideal planning time for any study abroad internship program is about 12-18 months out from the term in which you are proposing.   Please remember, this process can be lengthy, cumbersome, and scary if you’ve never pursued this type of program before. However, that is why I highly recommend you partner with a faculty advisor, they’ll take the guesswork off your plate as well as make sure all the safety issues are in place.  

Next, it is important to establish certain parameters and create a budget prior to the approval process. More than likely, a study abroad officer will assist in this process.  They usually have a budget template to help fill in all the gaps, such as insurance for the team who is traveling abroad, among many other safety items.

The budget will determine the total cost for the trip, per student. Usually, the two faculty member’s costs are also factored into this price. The cost to bring a domestic faculty-led trip to Baltimore for 10 students, with 3 credit hours and 9 days cost $3,690 per student. This includes accommodations based on double occupancy, most meals, and some entertainment. This does not include airfare and transfers.  With most study abroad programs, transportation will be additional.  We also opened this program up for any student to be able to apply to this program, regardless of where they are currently studying or if they are online students, etc.

With any internship program, it is important to create value and make a worthwhile, meaningful, and structured learning experience.  These students are the next generation of leaders. Therefore, we must incorporate into our agenda classroom talks. These talks will be with various department leaders and top executives from both the Hotel side as well as the Convention Visitor’s side sharing their stories on how they got into the hospitality game. In addition to these talks, the students will also have hands-on training while working an event from start to completion.

I am excited about our partnership with ASU and incorporating our first Study Abroad program for our 50^th annual convention!  In fact, we beat the deadline of March 1^st and have 10 students who are fully committed to their deposit money.

I encourage all of you to reach out and partner with other Universities and develop your own study abroad program. Together, let’s coach and train our next generation of hospitality leaders.

   Deb Jayne
   National Event Director
   Society for American Baseball Research (SABR)
   Sports ETA Mentoring Committee